St. Joseph's Crematory - 2013 - Josephville, MO
Posted by: YoSam.
N 38° 50.553 W 090° 47.762
15S E 691277 N 4301612
The dictionary, Wikipedia and other refer to a "crematory" as the place to BURN the dead, but in today's English it is a place to BURY the dead. The burning takes place in a "Crematorium"...an example of usage out-running the record of use.
Waymark Code: WM129XA
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2020
Views: 0
County of site: St. Charles County
Loction of site: 1390 Josephville Rd., St. Joseph Cemetery, Josephville
Crematory built: 2013
Defination by Dictionary:
crematory[ kree-muh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, krem-uh- ]
noun, plural cre·ma·to·ries.
1. a place, as a funeral establishment, at which cremation is done.
2. a furnace for cremating.
This crematory is made, mainly, of the old bricks from the original school for this parish. The bricks were refurbished, and stones added to complete the job.
"In 2012 our parish priest, Fr. Larry Huber, looked for a worthy use of the brick salvaged from the old school. After much discussion it was decided to use the brick to erect a Cremation Wall atop the Gandy Dancers graves with a memorial in their memory. " ~ St. Joseph Church
This Crematory is also used as a memorial for the Gandy Dancers. Many of whom died of cholera.
"More than 100 year have passed since the Gandy Dancers were laid to rest. In 1923 a school was built at St. Joseph. In 2009 a new school was built and the old school was dismantled.
For those who do not know, a Gandy Dancer is a railroad line worker. Those who lay track, and repair the trains and structures along the rail line. They get their name from the small carts they used. These carts are called Gandies. In the old days when motion was created but a see-saw pump handle - the operators looked like they were dancing on the cart...and therefore became Gandy Dancers. As an aside, and penitent to some extent: I grew up in a Gandy Dancer town, on the Missouri-Pacific Railway...why I know the story.